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Benton County approves vendor contract to move permitting for septic, wells and land use online
Summary
Supervisors approved moving forward with a countywide geo‑permitting system intended to let residents and contractors apply online for septic, well and land‑use permits, automate contractor certification checks, and integrate with the county’s Beacon parcel system.
The Benton County Board of Supervisors voted to approve proceeding with a vendor contract to implement a geo‑permitting (online permitting) system for environmental health and land‑use functions.
The county’s environmental health and land use department representative told supervisors the system would allow residents and contractors to submit applications remotely for septic systems, wells, land‑use permits, farm exemptions, subdivisions and floodplain reviews. "They're gonna be able to do that from the comfort of their house," the representative said, arguing the system would reduce phone traffic and free staff time now spent searching paper records.
The presenter emphasized automation of contractor certification and insurance tracking so contractors without current documentation would not appear as approved in the system. The vendor representative added that the software integrates with the county’s Beacon parcel system, allows applicants to draw site plans on aerial imagery, and will back up county data should the county later change vendors.
County staff described the contract as configurable to Benton County needs and said the county applied for an IT grant that, if awarded, would cover the contract cost. The transcript records a one‑time setup cost of 18,612 and a prorated hosting fee of 11,000 through June 30; the precise annual amount for year two in the meeting record was unclear and is not specified here pending confirmation from county staff.
Supervisors asked about payment options; the vendor said applicants could pay by credit card, e‑check or in person and that any payment‑processing fees would go to the processor, with the county receiving permit revenue net of those fees. The Board of Health had already endorsed the plan, and supervisors voted to proceed at the meeting.
The board’s vote authorizes county staff to finalize the contract details and proceed with implementation steps, including data migration and vendor support commitments. County staff said they will confirm the final multi‑year pricing and the grant outcome before full deployment.
